


Winter's Warmth

by feather_aesthetic



Category: RWBY
Genre: Gen, tickle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-05
Updated: 2018-07-05
Packaged: 2019-06-05 12:39:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15170942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/feather_aesthetic/pseuds/feather_aesthetic
Summary: “May I come in?”  She’d been standing there just staring at her sister for too long, she realised.  Wordlessly, she opened her door enough for Winter to slip inside.  The moment her door clicked shut, Winter wrapped her in a warm embrace, hand slipping up her back to curl in the hair at the base of her head and press Weiss closer to her.  Weiss couldn’t contain the tiny hitch in her breath at Winter’s sudden proximity, but melted into her a moment later, curling her arms around her waist and nuzzling into her shoulder.“I’ve missed you,” she whimpered, inhaling the familiar scent of orange and cinnamon.





	Winter's Warmth

In the daytime, her family’s mansion was bathed in glorious golden light through the huge windows installed in every room. It glanced off the marble walls and set the floors aglow with its brilliance. When Weiss was a child, she’d find a little nook behind a marble column and watch the sunlight play across her skin, before a servant found her and sent her back to her room. At night, the light that poured in was silver, and it flowed over the blue carpeting like an ocean of quicksilver. She would press her nose to the window and stare at the fractured moon when she couldn’t sleep, promising herself that one day, she’d see that moon from a window far, far away from this one. In the evenings the light would pass through the brighter hues of the rainbow against her wall before fading away. Weiss would imagined that she was the light, colourful and beautiful, but destined to fade to grey. No matter the colour of the light, though, it was as cold as the ice crystals she made with her Dust. The moment she’d set foot into her home once again, recalled from Beacon during Autumn break, the cold had seeped into her veins, her bones, reclaiming her like she had never left. Her aura was useless against it, for it didn’t leave her skin cold, but her heart, encased once more in the ice of the Schnee family name. She was halfway through her time back home, and so far, she hadn’t seen any point in it. Her mother was (unsurprisingly) nowhere to be seen, she interacted with her father exclusively at mealtimes, and Whitley (not that she cared much to speak to him) was otherwise occupied with some highly irritating boys he referred to as ‘friends’. The biting chill had receded for a moment, an hour ago at dinner, when Winter had arrived unannounced to stay with them for a few days, in between missions for the Atlesian military. Her heart fluttered with excitement, and Weiss perked up in her chair, waiting for a greeting. But Winter’s gaze had passed over her as though she were nothing more than a chair, and the frost had crept back over her heart once more. Her dinner had reminded her even more strongly of eating ashes after that. Now, she was in her room, lying across her comforter and staring at the ceiling. Her hair lay in a damp trail behind her, falling off the bed and pooling on the floor. She’d dug her comfiest pajama pants and tank top out of her closet for the night, seeing no reason to wear her fancier nightgown when she wouldn’t be seen by anyone. At that moment, a soft knock on the door sounded. Weiss closed her eyes in defeat and remained quiet, hoping that whoever it was would assume she was asleep and leave her be. The knock sounded again, a little louder this time.

“Weiss?” a voice called. Weiss sat bolt upright on her bed, dragging her hair with her. She practically stumbled over her own feet to reach the door, realising only as she turned the handle that she was improperly dressed to receive guests. 

“Winter,” she said, and her voice sounded hollow even to her, like she was yelling from inside a tunnel. Winter noticed too, she could tell from the way her eyes flicked over Weiss’ body, just once, assessing her condition. In her exhaustion, she hadn’t been able to fully wipe away her feelings of utter defeat, and traces remained in the slightest slouch of her back. Winter must have noticed her state of dress as well, but she made no comment on either. 

“May I come in?” She’d been standing there just staring at her sister for too long, she realised. Wordlessly, she opened her door enough for Winter to slip inside. The moment her door clicked shut, Winter wrapped her in a warm embrace, hand slipping up her back to curl in the hair at the base of her head and press Weiss closer to her. Weiss couldn’t contain the tiny hitch in her breath at Winter’s sudden proximity, but melted into her a moment later, curling her arms around her waist and nuzzling into her shoulder.

“I’ve missed you,” she whimpered, inhaling the familiar scent of orange and cinnamon. Winter’s other hand trailed along her spine, making her eyelids flutter.

“I’ve missed you as well, Weiss.” Weiss’s eyes filled with tears despite her attempts to hold them back, and she sniffled as she buried her face further into her sister’s shoulder. Her shoulders shook as she suppressed a sob, and she felt Winter’s arms tighten around her. “Oh, Weiss,” she sighed. She didn’t ask what was wrong. She didn’t need to. Winter knew perfectly well how Weiss felt about being in their family home without her. Winter held her until her breathing returned to normal, then pulled back enough so that she could look her sister in the eye. “Let’s sit down.” Weiss took her hand and led her to her bed, the same way she used to when she wanted to show some flower in the gardens to her big sister. They sat down side by side on the edge of her bed, and it was only then that she noticed that Winter was wearing pajamas very similar to her own. She hadn’t seen Winter look anything short of impeccable in years. Her hair was still in its ever-present bun though, as though Winter had merely stopped off at her room to change clothes before knocking on Weiss’s door. The sisters had always prided themselves on their long hair, learning how to braid by practicing on each other. It had been a nightly ritual for them to brush out the other’s hair before bed, something Weiss was clearly remembering, if the twitches of her fingers and glances at Winter’s hair were anything to go by. Winter let the edge of her mouth tug upwards. “Will you brush my hair for me?” Weiss nodded eagerly and moved so that she was sitting cross-legged behind her older sister. She yanked on the tie, and all of Winter’s beautiful, long hair came tumbling down her back. Winter tucked her bangs behind her ear as Weiss began threading her fingers through her snow-white hair. Touching Winter’s hair was like running her fingers over silk, or clouds, and the thick strands slid through her fingers easily. Winter sighed as Weiss’s fingernails raked down her back, over and over again.

“It's gotten so long since you left,” Weiss noticed. Winter hummed her agreement.

“I keep it up every day, so I don’t really notice it growing.”

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered. Winter felt her cheeks heating up slightly, and she knew that, thanks to her pale complexion, it would show on her face. If Weiss saw, she didn’t say anything, just kept running her fingers through her sister’s hair, trying to fix that moment in her memory forever. Winter was half asleep by the time Weiss switched from de-tangling her hair to running her hand down her back as though she were petting a cat. Only when she suspected that Weiss’s hands were getting tired did she flop backwards and to the side, laying back on the bed so that her sister could look down at her.

“So tell me about your time at Beacon. We wrote, but it’s never the same as talking.” Weiss spent the next few minutes catching her sister up on everything she’d missed, mostly talking about her teammates. Winter hid a smile as her sister told her about how messy and disorganized the rest of her team was. 

“What about you? Anything top-secret I don’t know about?” Winter shook her head, sitting up to be next to her sister.

“There’s not much I can say. It’s-”

“Classified, I know,” Weiss sighed, jostling her sister with her elbow. Winter nudged her right back, smiling slightly when her sister flinched away from the light jab to her side. 

“Still ticklish, Weissy?” she smiled outright, almost predatorily as the girl began to stammer. 

“I- no, of course not, that’s preposterous.” It had been a tradition for them, once, whenever Winter saw that her sister was sad, she’d tickle her until she was laughing too much to be anything but happy. Well, since they were in the business of reviving traditions… She pinned Weiss to her bed in one smooth motion, years of training kicking in as she grabbed Weiss’s arms and trapped them above her head with one of her hands. 

“You’re a terrible liar,” she said, poking at her sister’s sides. Weiss burst into giggles, squirming helplessly beneath her sister’s fingers.

“Wihihihihihinteheher!” she laughed, eyes squeezed shut with mirth. Winter’s fingers found that spot under her ribs and she yelped, twisting in her sister’s grip. Weiss’s laugh was one of Winter’s favourite sounds in the world, because it meant her baby sister was happy. Her giggle was adorably childish, interspersed with cute little squeaks whenever WInter’s fingers hit a sensitive patch of skin. She moved her fluttering fingers to Weiss’s neck and her laughter jumped, bubbling out of her mouth like her life depended on it. “Wihinter thihihihis ihihisn’t fahahahair!” Winter smiled at her sister’s antics.

“How is this unfair, little snowflake? You should know better than to lie to me by now.” Weiss’s face was already flushed from laughter, but it reddened further at her old nickname. 

“Wihihihihinny!” Winter let up at the appearance of Weiss’s old nickname for her, the nickname that had been so strongly forbidden by their father that Weiss had never used it again until that moment. The instant she let go of her sister’s hands, they shot down to curl across her stomach, strategically preventing a secondary attack. Weiss’s giggles died down, but her smile stayed where it was, for which Winter was immensely grateful. “I’m so getting you back,” Weiss giggled, aiming a poke at her sister’s side. She blinked when Winter’s hand closed around her wrist before she could make contact. 

“I’m not ticklish.” Come to think of it, Weiss had never gotten revenge on Winter when they were younger. She hadn’t really known how, and her sister was old enough to overpower her every time she’d tried. Having been the victim of several tickle attacks led by Ruby while at Beacon, Weiss was strong enough and experienced enough to finally turn the tables on her older sister. Weiss shot her other hand towards Winter, only to have that one caught and restrained as well. 

“If you’re not ticklish, then what are you worried about?” Weiss taunted, trying to break Winter’s hold on her. Winter bit her lip, ignoring the sound logic in front of her as she wrestled with her sister for control of her hands. Weiss managed to wrench a hand free and pinched at her ribs, and Winter curled in on herself with a squeal. Weiss grinned triumphantly, trapping her sister’s arms under her knees in a move she’d learned from Yang. 

“I knew you were ticklish,” she used both hands to pinch up and down Winter’s sides, eliciting more squeals, “but I had no idea you were even worse than me,” she teased. Try as she might, Winter couldn’t form a retort around the laughter pouring from her lips. Weiss’s fingers flew across her stomach, occasionally lightly pinching her sides or ribs, seeking out all the weak spots she’d kept hidden for so long. 

“Ihihihihihihi’m nahahahahahat!” Weiss’s fingers curled into a particularly bad spot above her hip and WInter squealed again, face scrunched up with laughter.

“Oh, I think you are, big sister.” Winter shook her head desperately, trying to push the sensations sparking up her spine away, but Weiss’s fingers were too fast and clever, and they were everywhere, in between her ribs, working their way up her sides, spidering across her stomach and stealing her breath. She couldn’t block it out, couldn’t even fight it as her laughter robbed her muscles of strength. Years of military training gone in an instant, and she would be cursing herself if she weren’t otherwise occupied at the mercy of her sister’s fingers. Each new spot made her squeal and kick out with renewed vigour, reduced to helpless squirming with just a few minute movements of a finger. 

“Weihihihihihihihiss!” she squealed, breath hitching when Weiss tried to worm her fingers under her arms. “Stahahahap ihihihihihihit!” Her laughter broke with a snort, possibly the most undignified noise she’d ever made, and her cheeks flushed even further as she tried to turn her head and bury it in the blankets. Weiss was laughing along with her now, not expecting her to be as helpless as she was, but very pleased with the results. 

“Hmmm,” she considered. “What will you give me if I do?” Weiss wasn’t cruel, but when she found a source of power, she tended to clutch onto it for as long as possible. 

“Youhuhuhuhu’re such ahahahaha,” she paused for a moment, overcome with laughter, “a tyrahahant!”

“Is that any way to speak to your little sister, Winter?” Winter didn’t think she’d ever laughed this much, continuously and without restraint. It made her feel light, lighter than she had in years. While she definitely wasn’t opposed to this, she really didn’t want to risk snorting again, and she was scared of attracting a servant with all the noise she was making. She had one last resort.

“Weihihihihiss, plehehehehehehease!” Weiss smiled down at her sister. In all their time together, she’d never seen her sister be so utterly adorable.

“Begging for mercy already, Winter? That didn’t take long,” she teased, but she let up to give her sister a chance to breathe. Winter’s hearty laughter faded into small giggles that wracked her lithe frame, and she sucked in deep breaths to try and recover. Her hair was a mess, her clothes were far from their normal military crispness, and her face was flushed red from laughter, but Weiss had never seen her sister look so beautiful. Not because she was prim, or proper, of put-together, but because she was happy. Winter finally opened her eyes to find Weiss grinning smugly down at her. She leveled her with a glare, but Weiss was undaunted.

“Oh little sister. You shouldn’t have done that.” Before Weiss could perceive the veiled threat in her voice, Winter had flipped them, knocking the breath out of her sister as she fell back on the mattress. Her wrists were trapped by her sides in Winter’s firm grip, and she could only plead as Winter lowered her mouth towards the strip of stomach that had been exposed by Winter’s bid for dominance. But Winter was deaf to her sister’s cries for mercy as she drew in a deep breath and blew. Weiss’s reaction was immediate, and in Winter’s opinion, hilarious. The girl devolved into a squealing mess even faster than Winter had. Any attempts to hold back her laughter were quickly thwarted by the next devastating blow (Winter fought the urge to snort at her own play on words). 

Weiss was caught in a vicious loop; every time her laughter would die down to a certain point, WInter would suck in another breath and deliver another raspberry to her quivering stomach, sending her into another fit of squealing. The vibrations tingled across her skin, bubbling up through her core and escaping from her lips in a chorus of cackling. 

“Stahahaha- ahahahahah Winter!” She tried to shove her sister away, but couldn’t pull her arms free in her weakened, addled state. One by one, spinning blue glyphs flickered in and out of being all across Weiss’s room, sending flashes of light in every direction. Winter pulled back, confused, but once she realized what was happening, she let her sister go, laughing at her the whole time.

“I can’t believe you lost control of your glyphs, little sister.” Weiss shoved at her.

“It’s not my fault! You’re so mean!” Winter flopped onto the bed beside her and pulled her into a hug, brushing past her half-hearted attempts at fighting her off. Weiss sighed and wrapped an arm around her sister, letting the soothing motions of Winter’s fingers stroking through her hair melt her into her mattress. 

“I love you, Weiss.” Weiss hummed as her eyes fluttered shut, snuggling closer to her big sister. Within Winter’s arms was one of the only places she felt truly safe, safe enough to drift off to sleep as she was doing now.

“Love you too Winny,” she mumbled. Just before she could fall asleep, a rush of happiness bubbled up from her chest, painting a small, contented smile on her face. For the first time since her return, Weiss finally felt warm.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm feather-aesthetic on tumblr, come yell at me or follow for more fics, I publish on there before I do on here so if you like my stuff you'll get it faster on that hellsite


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